bickford



t 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. B!CKFORD.

Smoking Meats.

Patented June 17, 1862.

UM-TED sum r To all whom, itin a y concern: l Beit k nown that I, EBENEZER BIGKFORD, of Ogden, in'the countyofMonroe and State of NewYork, haveinvent'ed newand Improved Apparatus forlSmoking Meats; and I do herebydeelare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had :to the accompanying ,drawings, making art of this speeificat-ion p a l. a Figure 1 being a front elevation of smokehouse for the purpose of exhibiting my im- .provements appliedthereto, showing the door of thehouseiopen, Fig. 2, ahorizontal section thereof in the plane indicated by the linea x,

- h Fig. 1, andshowingithe door closed; Fig. 3, a centralwvertical section of the same, showing a modification of theinterior arrangement'for hanging the meats; Fig. 4, a plan view of the t under sidejofat interior conducting-pipe for glthesrnoker t i Q a a Likelettersdesignate corresponding parts 1 Tnthefordinary nianner of smoking meats fiat presenta suitable house or apartment is providedfhaving hooks, nails, or pins selcured to its inner sides, on which to hang the hams, shoulders, or other pieces, or hav ing cross bars extending from one side to the venience-and economy require that thishouse shallbe small, and therefore it is difficult and laboriousto hang the heavy pieces in its most distant parts through the small doorway, and

when so hungthey generally are in contact with thewalls of the house or each other,

and thus donot receive the full benefit of t thesmoke. Thefire producing the smoke is sustained an; same apartment, and thus by which theyare injured; also, to sustain. t the fire, the door has to be frequently opened, thus losing much of the smokeand rendering the duty of attending-it a very disagreeaj 'bleone. j y i It is the object ofymy improvement to obviate these diiliculties, and theinvention consists in the use of one or moresets of horizon tal radial arms, secured to a vertical revolving shaft or hub inside the smoke-house in such a a manner that the arms present themselves convenientlyat'thedoor of the house for hanging the meats; and also in conveying the a other, onlwhich they are suspended. Conthe mea lsare subjected to considerable heat,

PATENT Price.

nBnnnznR BIcKnonD, on OGDEN, NEW YORK.

fiMPnoveivlENT N PrA'RATUs FOR SMOKlNG ME TsJ Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 35,580, dated J nine 17,

the smoke-house through a conducting-pipe arranged in sucha manner as'' to shield the pieces as much as possible from heat and from impurities.

I make use of the ordinary smokehouse, A,

shaft or hub, D. These armsare' of; suitable size and length for the purpose desigued, their ends generally reaching nearlyto the door and to the walls ofth'e'apartment. If it-is desired to smoke a large number of in Figs. 1 and 2, is preferable, and the sets of arms are'secnred oneabov'e another at suitaloledistances apart in a position most conin place by its journals resting in bearings E E, above and be1ow,as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, andby the dotted lines F-ig. 1; but if only asmall number of pieces are to be cured at once the modification shown in Fig. 3 is found most'convenient, the armsbeing at turning freely on a pendent support, F, secured to a frame-work above. This framecrosspieces, G and H, halved together in the middle, and the ends thereof resting on the plates of the frame of the house or other suitable supports. Into one of these cross-pieces, at suitable positionsybraces I I are notched and bolted or otherwise' rigidly secured at one end,while the opposite end of each extends up ward, inclining toward the other, till they 'meet, or are secured in a block, K, inclosing the pendent support, as represented. Nuts a a,or their equivalent,are secured tot-he .pendent support on the upper side of to sustain the hub and arms.

or strain of the cross-pieces when the weight on the arms is considerable. Additionalsets of hubs and supportingarms might be secured on the pendent support, if desirable, by inwashers or nuts between the hubs; but attachble, as such a device is cheaper.

When the apparatus is to be use smoke from an outer stove or generator into provided with adoor, B, as usual, and eentrally thereinI secure one or' more sets of horizontal radial arms, 0 O G, to a vertical pieces at once, a single shaft, as represented venient to the doorway. The shaft is secured tached to a hub,D, instead of a shaft, the hub work usually consists of two right-angled the timbers A The bracesl I serve-to prevent any sagging I creasing its length and inserting supporting g d, the door of the smoke -house is opened and the hams,

shoulders, or other pieces of meat secured or suspended respectively on the arms 0 O O, as

they present themselves when the shaft or hub is turned. This is easily done, as the arms reach nearly to the entrance. The advantage of thus suspending the pieces is apparent. There is no extra exertion required, as in hanging them on hooks or pins on the sides of the apartment, that are diflicult to reach through the small doorway; but they are secured in place at the entrance, and are readily turned to the farther or any side. By hanging on these arms they are prevented from coming in contact with the wall or each other, thus allowing the smoke -to circulate around and on all sides of them. When properly cured, they are as easily removed from the smoke-house.

AS near the bottom of the smoke-house as is convenient, and generally centrally situated, is a pipe, L, for conducting and distributing the, smoke, as represented most clearlyin Figs. 3 and at. This pipe extends from side to side of the apartment, being secured at one end by ahead,b,and the other end passing out through a hole made in the wall for the purpose, and resting in suitable supports, as at c. In the under side of this pipe, inside the apartment, is made alongitudinal slot or opening, (Z, orits equivalent, Fig. 4, extending nearly or quite its whole length, and of a width sufficient to allow the smoke to pass freely therefrom into the smoke-house; but at the same time not so great but that the smoke will be conveyed its whole length, flowing equ ally from all its parts, and thus is equalized through the whole apartment. In the outer end of this conducting and distributing pipe is inserted the end of the smoke-pipe M ofa stove or other suitable receptacle, N, for containing the smouldering fire that generates the smoke. This stove may be very small, and of any ordinary or desirable construction, if air-tight. In the drawings, it is represented as made of sheet-iron, nearly square, and having a hinged lid, f, on top, turning back to admit fuel, and a register, 9, for regulating the draft for supporting the combustion. \Vhen the fire is smouldering in this stove or generator, the smoke passes back into the conducting and distributing pipe L, being conveyed its Whole length and flowing equally at all points therefrom through the opening (2 into the apartment, and thus equalizing its density therein. The conducting and distributing pipe, by having its opening on the under side, prevents sparks, particles of soot, dust, and dirt from rising with the smoke, by turning them downward, and thus keeps the meats in a cleanly condition. It also prevents in a great degree the heat passing through the pipe from injuring the meats, by acting as a shield interposed between, and deflecting it downward. The advantage of this conduct ing and distributing pipe in connection with an outer stove is obvious. The smoke-house is as readily filled with smoke as if the fire were burning inside, and the fire requires much less attention, as it is readily governed by the register of the stove.

\Vhere the fire isin the same apartment with the meats to be cured, the latter become blackened, tried, and the outside baked or roasted, so as to be nearly worthless. \Vhere the fire is maintained in the smoke-apartment, there is always much loss ofsmoke in opening the door to replenish it, and it is very disagreeable to the eyes and lungs of the attendant. This arrangement is very cheap and not liable to disarrangement of any kind.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the smoke-house A,the conducting and distributing pipe'L, provided with an opening, (I, or its equivalent, extending nearly or quite its whole length, when the same is used to conveyand distribute the smoke from an outer stove or generator, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hureunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. BICKFORD.

Witnesses:

R. F. Osooon, D. (J. JoHNsoN. 

